Welcome back ‘Cats fans. A lot has happened since my last post, so here are some updates. We had a very spirited practice yesterday morning. The heat has been turned up to over 80 degrees in our indoor facility to simulate the conditions that we’ll be playing in on January 1st. As Coach Hank likes to quote, “If you’re going to fight in the North Atlantic, you must train in the North Atlantic.” Needless to say, some guys had trouble with the sudden heat wave. I’m not going to name any names, but #99 was struggling to stay hydrated. After practice, many guys stuck around to catch a little tape on Auburn and become more familiar with their schemes. After a quick power nap, we were back at the stadium to head to our evening event. We were fortunate enough to be the guests of the Chicago Blackhawks last night as they took on the St. Louis Blues. Two buses of players and support staff took in the game from numerous Penthouse Suites at the United Center. This was only the second hockey game I’ve ever been to. You’re probably asking yourself how a boy from Wisconsin has only been to one other hockey game (during last year’s bowl week). Wisconsin, home of the “Frozen Tundra” does not have an NHL hockey team. There are hockey teams in Georgia, Arizona, California, Texas, and even two in Florida, but none in the land of cheese, brats and beer. Other than a freak weather phenomena, these other places can’t even produce ice naturally. Oh, but I digress. The game was a great experience. The National Anthem before the game was remarkable and sent chills through my body. Luckily for me, Andrew Struckmeyer was just a few seats down from me in the box. Struck is home of all sports knowledge that you did or didn’t want to know. When he wasn’t proclaiming his man-crush on Alex Ovechkin, he helped me understand the basics of the game. My only bad experience came at the concession stand. As a nachos connoisseur, I must test nachos at each stadium or arena that I attend. I was appalled by the price of my undersized nachos: $5.75! Nevertheless, the nacho cheese was above average and the jalapeños had just the right bite. After taking in the ‘Hawks last night, we were back at the stadium this morning to watch film from yesterday’s practice and put the finishing touches on our beach bodies before heading down to Tampa. In addition to the weight lifting, this pearly white skin from Wisconsin may need to visit a tanning bed to prevent the all too familiar burn. There is only one thing worse than being hit by two fully-grown men every play…being hit by two fully-grown men every play when you are sun burned. After practice was finished, James Nussbaum, Mark Ison, Brad Philips, Zeke Markshausen, Andrew Brewer, and headed over to the women’s basketball game at Welsh-Ryan. The women played a terrific game and took home the win against Arkansas. Beth Marshall was on fire, starting the game 8 for 8 from behind the arc. The game just happened to be the annual Field Trip Day, which brings area youth into a collegiate atmosphere and highlights what it means to be a student-athlete. You can imagine what happened when Miley Cyrus was played over the sound system with over 4,000 elementary and middle school students in attendance. That’s all for today. Catch you in a few.Go ‘Cats,–Adam